skelley



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. T. SKELLEY.

AUTOMATIC GAR BRAKE. No. 250,984. Patented Dec. 13,1881.

WITNESSES INVENTOR I I, W mu/ I SL1 Qsw. 9 ATTORNEYS N. PEYEIIS. mmmho n tm. Wnhinglan. D. C.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J.-T. SKELLEY.

AUTOMATIC GAR BRAKE.

(No Model.)

Patented Dec. 13,1881.

INVENTOR S ATTORNEYS WITNESSES (No Model.) 3 Sheets--Sheet 3.

J. T. SKELLEY.

AUTOMATIC GAR BRAKE.

No. 250,984. Patented'D'e'o. 13,1881.

WITNESSES INVENTOR N. PEIERS. Phulu-Limugnplwn wnmn m". D. c.

Fries.

PATENT JAMES SKELLEY, OF GREENSBOROUGH, GEORGIA.

AUTOMATIC CAR-\BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 250,984, dated December 13, 1881. Application filed August 26, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs T. SKELLEY, of Greensborough, in the county of Greene and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvemen ts in Auto 111 atic Gar-Brakes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompany-v in g drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in automatic brakes for railway-cars, the object being to provide adevice of this character which shall permittheordinary forward and rearward actuation of the cars, but which is so constructed that any movement which results in forcing back their draw-heads will apply the brakes almost simultaneously throughout ,the entire train and stop or retard its forward progress.

A further object of my invention is to provide a brake of the character designated which shall be simple in construction, efficient in operation, not liable to derangement, and which may be manufactured and maintained in running order at a low expense.

With these ends in view my invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the base-frame and trucks of a car provided with braking apparatus constructedin accordance with myinvention. Fig. 2 is a View in side elevation thereof, and Fig. 3 is a detached view of a single truck.

A represents the base of a car-frame, to the cross-beams B of which two four-wheeled cartrucks, (J, are attached. Ordinary draw-heads, D, are secured to draw-bars E,wl1ich are mount ed in the cross-beams F and B, and which extend through and beyond the latter. The said draw-bars, which may be of any approved form of construction, are provided with cross-bars Gforthe attachmentofthelinks H,which transmit the motion of the draw-bars to the rods I, which latter connect the brake-levers J, pivotally secured to the car-trucks in front of their wheels. The said levers J may be secured to the trucks at points above or below the axles of the wheels, as may be desired. In Fig. 2 of the drawings two different ways of arranging them are illustrated. In form the levers are slightly curved, and extend up and over the wheels with their concave faces towardthem.

Brake-shoes K are adapted to slide up and down the levers by means of yokes L, provided with rollers M, which play upon the outer faces of the levers, the upper ends of which are of such form that the yokes can rise and fall upon them freely, while their lower ends gradually increase in width until at a point nearly in front of the truck-wheels they become larger than the yokes and intercept their downward progress. It is not, however, necessary that the levers should be wedge-shaped near their lower ends, for any configuration of form or any projection that will intercept the brake-shoes may be adopted, if found desirable;

It is to be observed that the draw-bars are formed in this instance of screw-threaded rods, and that the cross-bars G are held in position upon them by means of nuts, which may be adjusted to and fro to change the position of the said bars, and thus vary the amount of motion transmitted to the brake-levers from the draw-bars; but this construction may be entirely changed and the regulation of the transmitted motion may be effected in any other desired manner. Again, if desired, the drawbars may extend farther toward the center of the cars than they do in the construction shown in the drawings, and the rods 1 may be connected directly to them or by short links. 8

Each car is provided with two trucks,the brakes of which are entirely independent of each other, and which are so arranged that even though the cars are reversed end for end they will still be operative. by locating the brakes of both trucks on the outer faces of the truck-wheels. The braking apparatus of both trucks cannot, however, be used in conjunction, for under the arrange- This is effected c ment given them they will act in direct antag- 5 drawings is being drawn by the right-hand draw-head and that the left-hand draw-head is locked in position to hold the brake-shoes out of engagement with the wheels of the rear truck. As long as the engine maintains a regular speed the right-hand draw-head will be held open and the brake-shoes held from engagement with the wheels; but when the motion of the engine is retarded the car nearest to it will be carried forward by its own momentum until its frontdraw-head engages with the draw-head of the engine. This engagement will result in forcing the draw-head of the said car in andin applying the brake-shoes to the wheels of the front truck, thus retarding the motion of the car. The front drawhead of the second car is in turn engaged with the rear draw-head of the first car and pushed in thereby, thus applying the brakes in the front truck of the second car, and this operation will be repeated throughout the length of the train.

It will be observed that, as the momentum of each car is overcome by its individual braking mechanism, a train of many cars may be checked or slacked up with nearly the same readiness as a train of fewer cars traveling at the same speed.

In backing a train of cars provided with my automatic brake it is evident that the drawheads will be pushed in and the brake-shoes applied to the wheels; but as the latter are being revolved away from the shoes they will simply raise them to the upper ends of the levers withoutperceptibly retarding the backing of the train.

In view of the fact that my braking appa ratus is adapted to be attached to cars already built,it is apparent that in adapting it to cars of difi'erent styles of construction it must undergo some changes in form. Iwould therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such slight changes in construction and'combinations of parts as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claimeas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an automatic brake for railway-cars, the combination, with brake-levers pivotally secured to the trucks in front of their wheels, of brake-shoes provided with yokes adapted to rise and fall on the brake-levers, and a system of levers connecting the said brake-levers with the draw-bars of the cars, substantially as set forth.

2. In an automatic brake for railway-cars, the combination, with wedge-shaped brake-levers pivotally secured to the trucks in front of their wheels, of brake-shoes provided with yokes having rollers adapted to play upon the outer faces of the brakes, and a system of levers connecting thebrake-levers with the drawbars of the cars.

3. A railway-car provided with two trucks, each having brake-levers pivoted in front of their wheels, said levers being wider or having projections formed on the outer faces of theirlower ends, of brake-shoes adapted to rise and fall upon the said levers, and a system of lever-connections between them and the drawbars of the car.

4. In an automatic brake for railway-cars, the combination, with the draw-bars E, links H, and rods I, of brake-levers J and brakeshoes K, yokes L, and rollers M.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of August, 1881.

JAMES THOMAS SKELLEY. 

